Exploration: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Ghost Squadron Book 2)

by Sarah Noffke

  “Sir, have Chester and Marilla made progress with finding the meeting location?” asked Julianna.

  “Not yet. But the meeting is in three days, and I’m confident we’ll have enough information to intervene by then. In the meantime, you all wash up and take some R and R.”

  “I think the chief is implying we should get drunk to celebrate.” Eddie leaned over and whispered loudly in Julianna’s direction.

  She gave him an irritated look, scrunching up her nose. “I think he’s implying that you need a shower.”

  “Hey, lava makes me sweat. Sue me.”

  Julianna lifted her arm and sniffed. “Same goes for me. Blasted lava. What a horrific planet.”

  “Yeah, why can’t the Kezzin pick a nice beach resort for one of their bases?” joked Eddie.

  “That actually reminds me, there’s supposed to be a new bar on Oynx, one that has a surfing simulator,” said Julianna.

  “What’s surfing?” asked Eddie.

  “Damn, you’re sheltered,” Julianna said with a laugh.

  “I just need you to teach me, Jules. Teach Teach, would you?” he asked, clasping his hands together like he was begging.

  “Tough luck, pal!” she said, waving a hand and taking off.

  “Oh, come on! Teach Teach! That’s funny shit!” Eddie cast a look back at Lars, who was helping to move the crates. “Let’s go, Lars. We’ve got drinks to drink and bar fights to fight.”

  “Captain Teach…” Jack said with a warning on his face, looking totally serious.

  “You know I’m kidding, Chief!” said Eddie.

  Wave House. Deck 26. Onyx Station, Paladin System.

  The three strolled into the restaurant, which strangely had sand on the floor.

  “Why would they put sand on the floor?” asked Lars, stepping carefully like he was walking on lava again.

  “It’s to round out the experience of being on a beach. It’s called ambiance,” said Julianna.

  “Oh, that makes sense, although I’ve never been on a beach,” admitted the Kezzin.

  Eddie tapped Lars on the shoulder, leaning forward. “Be careful, she’ll call you sheltered.”

  “If you only heard the things I called you behind your back,” Julianna said with a half-smile.

  “Damn, this woman is cold,” said Eddie, frowning.

  “Only to the people who matter the most,” said Julianna, winking at him.

  At the back of the restaurant was a large slide covered in water, with jets at the bottom that created a steady wave. A guy started forward wearing only trunks and carrying a flat oval shaped board. He stepped into the water at the arch of the slide, setting his board down. He stepped onto it and rode down towards the jets before catching a current and riding back towards the arch. From there, he cut the board to the right and left, riding the water in a way Eddie had never seen before.

  “Damn, that’s far out shit,” remarked Eddie, his mouth hanging open.

  “Just wait until you try it,” teased Julianna.

  “No way! I ain’t doing that,” he exclaimed.

  “Not until you’ve had a few drinks, you’re not,” she said. “You can’t surf sober. That’s the rule.”

  Eddie ambled over to the bar, flanked by Julianna and Lars. He leaned on the counter, scanning the bottles against the wall. “Tonight calls for something special.”

  “You always say that,” said Julianna.

  “I haven’t known you long enough for you to know what I always say,” remarked Eddie.

  “Oh, it just feels like a long time.” She smirked.

  “We’ll take three Baba Yaga’s Vengeance,” said Eddie to the bartender.

  The man lifted an eyebrow, looking surprised. “You want…three of those? Are you serious?”

  Eddie thought for a second. “Yeah, you’re right! Never mind. Let’s make it six.”

  The bartender gawked for a moment. “A-Are you sure?”

  “Let’s go, barkeep,” said Julianna. “We’ve got the night off and there’s liquor to drink.”

  “Baba-what?” asked Lars.

  “You’re going to love it,” said Eddie. “Burns like a mother!”

  The bartender lined three glasses up and poured orange syrup into them. Then he filled the rest of it with a thin emerald green liquor.

  “Yeah, I guess that doesn’t look too bad,” remarked Lars.

  The bartender pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the tops of the three drinks, shoving each forward as he did. “Next round coming up after you finish this one,” he said.

  Eddie picked up two of the drinks and offered them to Julianna and Lars, waiting until they took them. He grabbed his own. “Despite what you say, Julianna, there’s no one I’d rather be out in the field with.” He clinked his flaming glass against hers. “And Lars, you’ve proven yourself more times than I can count. Good work today!” He clinked glasses with him before all three brought their glasses together in the middle.

  “Cheers,” they said in unison. They blew out the flame burning on the top.

  Julianna hesitated, sniffing the liquor. “It doesn’t smell too bad.”

  “It tastes a whole lot better than it smells.” Eddie threw his head back, taking the whole glass in one swallow. It tasted like burnt sugar.

  Eddie slammed his glass on the bar. “Ready for round two.”

  Julianna took a cautious sip of her Baba Yaga’s Vengeance before drinking down the rest. “Not bad. I guess sometimes you know what you’re doing, Teach.”

  Eddie winked. “Damn straight. Now, are you any good at this surfing thing?” He pointed in the direction of the simulator where a new participant stood, reluctantly holding a board. The guy shook his head and charged forward, throwing down his board and jumping onto it. One leg shot up in the air and the guy teetered backwards. He recovered his balance, but his legs were locked out, his arms too straight on either side of him.

  “This isn’t going to end well.” Eddie grabbed the second drink the bartender had made, blowing out the flame before it could burn off too much of the alcohol. That would be a shame.

  “I fear you’re right,” said Lars, still sipping on his first drink.

  “The key is to flow with the waves. Become one with the water. When the rider resists the water or hesitates, then they lose their balance,” explained Julianna.

  The surfer tanked, falling down hard on his tail bone, his board slipping out in front of him. It hit the jets, spraying the crowd with water. Shouts of complaints jeered from the onlookers as they shielded their faces from the spray.

  Eddie handed the drink from the counter to Julianna. “Sounds like you know a lot about this surfing business. Why don’t you show us how it works?”

  She blew out the flame on the top of the drink. “I would, but I just washed my hair.”

  “If you don’t wipe out, I think you’re head of pretty hair should be just fine.”

  “That’s true. I just don’t want to make you guys look bad,” said Julianna.

  “Such a sweetheart, this one.” Eddie reached down and pulled off one of his boots before ambling forward and pulling off his sock. He kept walking as he took off the other boot and sock, leaving them in his path. “I’ll show you how to do this.”

  Eddie, pulled off his shirt and threw it to the ground as he made his way to the simulator.

  Julianna turned to Lars, a mischievous smile on her face. “Well, that was a hell of a lot easier than I thought it would have been.”

  “I kind of figured the captain would be game for such a challenge. He doesn’t seem to scare easily.”

  “That he doesn’t.” Julianna motioned to the bartender who acknowledged her with a nod.

  Eddie was leaned over, rolling up his jeans. He rose to a standing position and stared back at the pair by the bar. He beat his bare chest with one hand, making a sort of barking sound.

  Julianna and Lars both laughed easily. “He still doesn’t know what a dog sounds like, does he?”

>   “It would seem. We’re going to have to get Harley to bark for him,” said Julianna.

  Eddie took the surfboard handed to him and climbed to the top of the tank, where the slide started.

  “Are we taking bets on how long he’ll last?” asked Julianna.

  “I’m not sure if that’s the respectful thing to do. He’s my captain and—”

  Julianna cut Lars off, slapping a bill on the bar. “I’m giving him seven seconds.”

  Lars smiled. “I’ll take four.”

  Eddie stood ankle deep in the current-filled water, gauging it. Then he ran forward, throwing the board down as he jumped on to it. He and the board rode to the bottom where he had one glorious moment where he looked like he’d hold his own. The board shot straight into the jet, sending a surge of water over it, sinking it at once and sending Eddie to his tail bone.

  Drenched in water and brandishing a wide smile, Eddie rose to his feet, the board tucked up next to his waist. He held his hand in the air and shook his head, sending droplets of water over the crowd. This time they cheered.

  “Again! Again! Again!” they encouraged.

  Julianna slapped down another bill. “Six seconds, this time.”

  Lars gave her a sideways look. “Four, still.”

  “Damn, should I inform the captain that you have so little faith in him?” asked Julianna.

  “It’s not a matter of faith. Things like surfing are rarely picked up easily. He’s got to fall a few times to figure out how the board moves and how he should respond accordingly. I’d say after the fourth or fifth time, he’ll have this down, and that will still be faster than most.”

  “That makes sense. So you’re saying we all have to fall sometimes, is that right?” Julianna sipped her drink.

  “Falling down is key, as well as getting back up. About like that.” Lars pointed in Eddie’s direction. He stood back in the starting position, nodding his head to the hum of the music and the chanting of the crowd.

  “I don’t disagree with that logic.”

  Eddie was slower this time to wade out into position. He dropped the board, stabilizing it with one foot as he watched how it moved with the current. Then he jumped onto the board and rode it down to the bottom where he wiped out after a few seconds.

  Lars picked up the bills on the bar. “And if we’re honest, I’ve got a lot more faith in that man than I’ve had in most throughout my life. Eddie has heart, which is not something that can be taught. It’s inborn.”

  “Well put,” said Julianna, finishing her drink.

  Eddie had already taken the starting position again, not even needing to be encouraged by the crowd this time.

  Julianna finished off a few more drinks, while Lars sipped on a single one as they watched Eddie try and fail. The fifth time Eddie took the position on the top of the simulator, Lars pointed, with his tumbler in his hand. “Now watch this time. My money is on him staying up for a good twenty seconds.”

  Finally feeling the buzz from the liquor, Julianna stared intently at the wave pool. The crowd was super charged, chanting and egging Eddie on. He stepped out into the water, a smile on his face, but his eyes focused. He stood to the side of the slide, not in the middle. After a moment he set the board down and jumped on it in one swift movement. He rode down and nearly lost his balance before righting himself. Eddie kneeled, placing his hand in the top of the water until the board backed up so it rode on the apex of the wave. From there, he stood taller, pivoting the board one way, and then the other, cutting through the water, handling the wave easily. It was like when he was flying. He seemed to understand how to harness the water and the air.

  Julianna picked up her glass and held it out to Lars. “Well, cheers. You seem to be a master at reading these situations.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe I just got lucky.” He clinked his glass against hers as Eddie continued to ride the wave.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Lower Deck Corridor, QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.

  “Is it normal to feel like my head is full of lead?” asked Lars, trudging through the corridor alongside Eddie.

  “Actually, sounds like you didn’t drink enough. I woke up feeling like a jackhammer was going off in my head.” Eddie held out his palm, a small pill lying in it. “Take this and you’ll thank me in five minutes.”

  Lars didn’t hesitate before picking up the pill and swallowing it dry. “Thanks. I’m guessing Julianna didn’t need a pill like this. She didn’t even appear buzzed after all those drinks.”

  “You’ve guessed right. The commander will look so fucking chipper it will be ridiculous.”

  “Nano technology is something else,” said Lars.

  “It also gives me incredible hearing so I know when you’re talking about me.” Julianna rounded out of a connecting corridor, striding next to the pair.

  “See.” Eddie tossed his head in her direction. “So fucking chipper.”

  Lars studied Julianna. “It’s a marvel, for sure. How do I get this nano transformation done to me?”

  “You have to pretty much die, but be hanging on by a tiny thread,” said Julianna.

  Lars laughed. “Yeah, never mind. That seems a little extreme.”

  “It is. The line between life and death is miniscule, and most cross over to the other side before they can be helped.”

  “Well, and also only someone like General Reynolds could authorize such a transformation,” said Eddie.

  “Or the Empress, as in my case,” said Julianna.

  Lars eyes widened with awe, Eddie noticed.

  “Lars, the commander and I are going to track down this weapon. I’m leaving you behind on this mission.” The three paused outside of the Intelligence Center.

  Lars nodded. “I’ll focus on flight training.”

  “Yes, do that, but I have something else I need you to do,” said Eddie.

  “Yes, sir. What is it?”

  “You know I’ve been sorting through files for recruits, picking personnel for the crew,” said Eddie.

  “I’m aware of that,” affirmed Lars.

  “I’d like you to review some files and make some choices on crew members.”

  “Sir? You want me to recruit for the QBS ArchAngel? Isn’t that a big job?” asked Lars, surprised.

  Eddie nodded. “Yes, it is. It’s just until we get this weapon. I don’t want the recruitment effort to slack. Jack is adamant about us filling up this ship.”

  “But that’s an important responsibility, recruiting personnel.”

  “And I trust you will do a good job with it. You have an instinct for people. Use that,” said Eddie.

  Lars looked to Julianna, who was standing tall, hands pinned behind her back. Then he returned his gaze to the captain. “Absolutely. I’ll devote my full attention to the job.”

  “I trust you will.” Eddie turned, striding into the Intelligence Center.

  ~~~

  Chester tapped his foot to the music playing, something with a strange electronic beat. He looked deep in thought as Julianna and Eddie entered the Intelligence Center.

  “The chief said you had information for us on the meeting with Ray De’ft and Doka,” said Eddie. He leaned down and petted the animal with knots of shaggy brown hair.

  The dog always seemed to be everywhere on the ship. Wherever Julianna was, that mutt could be found, almost like it was stalking her. Most people’s face lit up when they saw Harley. His presence had been a welcome one on the ship. However, not for Julianna. The memory wasn’t clear, but it still tightened her chest. Canines. Growling. Julianna running as fast as her child legs could take her. But now, she was super human. Why should the old memory still affect her?

  “Thanks to Marilla, I was able to decode the communications I picked up off the Trids’ defense network. Pretty tricky system they use,” said Chester, spinning around in his swivel chair, facing them.

  “It’s not a logical code, that’s why most can’t figure it out. However, my years on Kai are paying
off,” said Marilla. She wore an easy smile and looked quite at home sitting behind one of the six desks behind Chester’s main workstation.

  “All of the Trid correspondence looked like chicken scratch to me.” Chester wheeled around and typed a few keys on his keyboard. He punched the enter key with his pointer and leaned back. “I replaced a few of the characters based on Marilla’s input and voila!”

  The data on the largest screen above rearranged until it said something that was recognizable.

  “Dillon?” asked Eddie. “That’s way the hell out there. Like the fringe of the fringe.”

  “I believe that’s in the Lorialis system where we found you, Teach.” Julianna said it like she was unsure, but she wasn’t. Her brain didn’t make it so she’d forget such things. It catalogued all data with accuracy.

  “Way the hell out there, like I said,” admitted Eddie.

  “I couldn’t make sense of the meeting location, but that’s where Marilla further helped,” informed Chester.

  All heads turned to the communications officer. She stood, striding over to a screen of a large map of Dillon. “The location of the meeting with Doka and Ray De’ft is planned for the East Bawah Tanah system over here.”

  “I’ve never heard of that,” said Julianna, the location not ringing any bells at all.

  “Right. It didn’t make sense to me either. We couldn’t find anything remotely close to that in this area. However, I dug deeper and learned something interesting. This part of Dillon is a huge industrial area that has a complex network of underground tunnels. Then this sparked a thought. In their native language, the Trids don’t have a word for underground because they…well, they have no reason to be underground. Their natural habitat is the water. Land is a recent part of their evolution. Bawah Tanah as far as I’ve been able to tell is a new translation for subterranean.”

  “So the meeting is in the east area of these underground tunnels?” asked Eddie.

  Marilla nodded.

  “Damn. We’re going to storm in on a secret meeting to steal a giant gun inside a tunnel, with limited places to go. Doesn’t sound difficult,” said Eddie, pretending to be intimidated, but Julianna caught the excitement under the surface. This was a damn hard challenge, and he loved the idea of it.